My eldest child turned six last week, six years old! I can’t believe it’s been six years since I became a mother. Anyway Super Kid had requested a bowling party and so a bowling party I arranged. I say arranged, I rang the bowling centre and handed over my card details, this is pretty much all the arranging I did. In short my approach to children’s parties is to book somewhere who provide both fun and food then turn up with a cake on the day.

So we had fifteen guests and I had rather foolishly imagined I would be taking photos and chatting to the guests parents whilst the children had a jolly good time bowling. Erm nope. As it turns out supervising fifteen children bowling needed me, my husband and a lovely but obviously bonkers for agreeing to help friend (thanks Kath).

So the actual bowling was not too much of a problem, really just ensuring no bowling balls got dropped on toes en route and positioning the ramps that little children use to bowl. No the bowling wasn’t the problem, it was the children in your care awaiting their turn whilst you give the child currently bowling your full attention. Every time I turned around I encountered a new health and safety hazard! Fingers in ball dispensing machines, balls being rolled at each other on the floor, climbing of ball dispensing machines, annoying of large beefy man trying to bowl in the lane next to us etc.

So I went with my usual parenting approach, as in if I can’t see it then it isn’t happening. Some may criticise this approach, but in this instance it was the only way that sanity could be preserved. Any attempts to control fifteen excited six year olds in a bowling alley, which by the way is stimulation overload with all those flashing lights and loud popular music (get me I said popular music like an old lady and I’m kinda proud), would inevitably end in a Purple meltdown.

The only thing that made all this crazy children, terribly music, urgh I’m wearing shoes worn by thousands of people before me, stuff, bearable was the look on Super Kid’s face. He wore a grin from ear to ear throughout, and punctuated his game by coming to me to tell me he loves me. So for that reason I would have to say the bowling party was a resounding success. Next year though I’m gunning for a more sedate party, like perhaps a knitting party or a birthday book club.